OHIO — An Emirati man who was arrested by Avon Police over false accusations of being linked to Daesh refused to accept apology from American officials.

“I could see the hate in their eyes. Their intention was to kill me,” said Al Menhali, who was in Ohio’s Cleveland for business and medical check-ups following health complications including a previous stroke.

He added that the incident disrupted a $70 million business deal he has been working on for a year with a pharmaceutical company in San Diego and discussions on latest findings in the health industry.

Al Menhali, who wore the kandoora ,was detained after a clerk at Fairfield Inn and Suites in Avon called the police and claimed he pledged allegiance to ISIS. He fainted as police released him and was taken by the ambulance to St John Medical Centre.

He said that the police and officials’ apology was carried out without full investigation with the hotel or the clerk herself. He said it was “merely a cover” on the hate incident that targeted him.

“I am happy an apology came through. It means that there’s a step forward, but that does not mean their apology is accepted nor that I will give up on my right,” Al Menhali said.

Al Menhali said the clerk, a 22-year-old woman, who was reportedly fired days after the incident, tried to keep him in the lobby for as long as possible. “She tracked me and planned to call the police as I was in the lobby. Every time I wanted to leave, she found ways to keep me.”

He described the police’s treatment to him as “inhumane” and “demeaning.”

“When they first yelled at me to get down, I thought there was a problem at the hotel from which they were trying to protect me,” said Al Menhali.

As the police approached him, he said having history of a previous stroke posed challenges for him to abide by their requests.

“I could barely move, so I found it difficult to get on the ground. I feared they would kill me if I didn’t listen to their orders.”

He added that the police pressed forcefully on his back, which caused him several injuries. They forcefully threw his mobile phones on the ground, which, for him, is not an action normally committed against a suspect.

Al Menhali, who is still in the US to continue his treatment, added that his health condition has not stabilized after the incident.